Episode 99: Building Consensus
Consensus can be a dirty word. It implies compromise. Compromise invites committee thinking. And committee thinking is associated with safe and uninteresting solutions. But without consensus, we can’t deliver a digital strategy. How do we achieve consensus while remaining daring and innovative? Let’s start by saying that consensus is necessary. As strategists, our role is to drive the thinking and deliver the broad vision, connecting … Continue reading Episode 99: Building Consensus
Episode 98: Strategy In The Age Of Media Crisis
Digital media is having a moment, one that if not aggressively addressed will turn into a full blown crisis of confidence. Procter & Gamble CMO Marc Pritchard caused a sensation when he called on digital media providers to become transparent in the face of “crappy advertising accompanied by even crappier viewing experiences”. Major advertisers, including the UK government, the Guardian and Havas have frozen all Google and YouTube … Continue reading Episode 98: Strategy In The Age Of Media Crisis
Episode 97: Self Awareness Is A Beautiful Thing
The Ancient Greeks wrote that you should know thyself. But self awareness is a seemingly rare trait. We rush to talk, to get our opinion across without thinking about the impact on how we are perceived. Why is self awareness so important, why is it so rare, and how can we become more self aware? Self awareness is the conscious knowledge of one’s own character, feelings, … Continue reading Episode 97: Self Awareness Is A Beautiful Thing
Episode 96: Why Are Soft Skills So Hard?
Overlooked, sidelined and dismissed, soft skills are considered less important than hard technical skills and experience. But as you grow your career, they become ever more important. What are soft skills, why are they not considered important when you first start your career, and why do they become more important as you grow? Soft skills are human skills. They are communication skills. They are about … Continue reading Episode 96: Why Are Soft Skills So Hard?
Episode 95: The Things Left Undone – Avoid Getting Overwhelmed
When you’re in the middle of the scrum, with a thousand requests coming at you at the same time, how do you prioritize? How do you deliver to expectations? How do you maintain the quality of your thinking and output? How do you stay sane? Life comes at you fast. To be a strategist means to never have a dull moment. But it is a … Continue reading Episode 95: The Things Left Undone – Avoid Getting Overwhelmed
Episode 94: Leading As A Digital Strategist
The strategist sits at the heart of the organization; is it any wonder your colleagues look to you for leadership? What are the traits that make a strategist a good leader, and how do you best provide that leadership as a strategist? Think back to what we’ve defined as the role of the strategist. The overarching responsibility of the strategist is to drive the thinking, ideas … Continue reading Episode 94: Leading As A Digital Strategist
Episode 93: The Work: The 5 Elements To Know What Great Looks Like
It’s a nebulous and subjective thing. Who decides what great work looks like, and why? What’s more, we aren’t creative directors. We are digital strategists. Our work isn’t designed to inspire, amuse or move. Our work is designed to perform. So before you launch, and until you have results that validate your strategy, how can you know if your work is great? A while back … Continue reading Episode 93: The Work: The 5 Elements To Know What Great Looks Like
Episode 92: Digital Strategy Frameworks
Bringing order to chaos. Simplicity to complexity. Vision to practicality. The strategist is there to align stakeholders, solve problems and achieve ambitious objectives. But doing so is not a straightforward task. Not unless you have a strategic framework to depend on. A strategic framework is a visualization of the components that make up the strategy, their relative position to each other, and the way they … Continue reading Episode 92: Digital Strategy Frameworks
Episode 91: A Great Story Well Told – The Digital Strategy Podcast
The spoken word. It connects in ways that the written does not. Maybe that is why the podcast, an old delivery platform that many thought was past its prime, is enjoying such a revival. The podcast allows us to tell stories, provide context and connect on a human level, and it holds a very important place in the role of an integrated digital strategy. Serial changed … Continue reading Episode 91: A Great Story Well Told – The Digital Strategy Podcast
Episode 90: The Need For Speed – Growth Hacking Your Way To Success
You have an aggressive annual objective. You need an innovative strategy to achieve it. But each week you take on developing your strategy represents 2% of your year, and sets you that much further behind your goal. You now have a steeper hill to climb, and in less time. How do you square the requirement to spend an appropriate amount of time researching and planning, … Continue reading Episode 90: The Need For Speed – Growth Hacking Your Way To Success
Octopus Digital Strategy 